Redemption
by Aryiaa Bloodream
Summary: Out of all the companies to work from, Shinra was the last on her list. Just because she works there though doesn't mean that she has to enjoy it.
1. Job Seeking

Whew, FFVII 'ey... I've procrastinated with writing this for soooo long. Same goes with my other story's next chapter but lets not get onto that... "x3 Hopefully this first chapter wont be too bad. It only features one of the canon characters but the next few chapters should hopefully show more. I just hope I'm not out of shape with my writing *crosses fingers*.

Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

Midgar, city of opportunity, or so she was told. That had been years ago, before she learned for herself that it was far from the truth. Struggling to earn an income in a strange city with only a few friends to help support you made life harder than it should have been.

"Lena! Get up!" Groaning the figure under the covers lifted their head from the mass of linen.

Dull blue eyes, almost grey, glared up at the intruder, strands of brown hair invading her vision. Staring at her friend Lena sighed, eyebrows narrowing in annoyance. "What?"

"Today is the day you get a job! You didn't come all this way just to leech off your friends, or did you?" A smile spread across her friend's face, he knew just how to play her and she knew it.

"No chance, you've seen me try before. I don't qualify for anything that pays well. Now, goodnight." Pulling the covers back over her face Lena attempted to fall back to sleep. Unfortunately for her, her friend had other ideas.

Feeling her eyes shift uncomfortably at the sudden burst of light through her eyelids the teen screamed in frustration. She was never allowed to sleep in, if she tried to then her friend would always pull something to drive her drowsiness away. One event involved a hard boiled chocobo egg. The hours of cleaning the mess taught her a lesion for a while.

"Lena, I swear, if you don't get up and at least try to find a job you can find someone else to mooch off." Her friend pulled the covers away from her, persistence meeting annoyance.

"Faro, I swear to you that I'm not going to get something to sustain myself for long. I can't get a good job without help."

Faro sighed in frustration, running his fingers through his obsidian locks. Glancing at the clock on the wall his frown deepened. "I've got to go to work now but please, do something productive."

Watching the elder male leave the room Lena stared at the partially open door. Hearing the front door open and close the brunette revelled in the silence. Not long after the sounds of vehicles and bustling people reached her ears, dispelling the last remnants of sleep from her system. Not only had Faro opened her curtains but he'd left her window open.

Growling in frustration Lena sat up, untangling herself from her thin covers. Stretching her arms out in front of her the young woman sighed in relief as some of her joints cracked, tension seeping away. Turning to look out of her open window she glanced disinterested at what greeted her.

Dull grey buildings surrounded the area. Further in the distance was the Shinra tower, the only visible part of the building from her position. Turning her gaze to the sky Lena frowned at the looming, grey clouds. Scowling at the thought of rain the brunette hopped out of bed.

Lena's toes curled as they made contact with the chilled floorboards. Automatically moving in the direction of the bathroom that was connected to her room the young woman let loose a long yawn. Grunting as something jammed into her side she finally opened her eyes to be greeted by her own image. Looking away she discovered the corner of the wash basin to be the cause of the throbbing in her side.

Proceeding to brush her teeth the brunette stared at the mirror, barely registering her dishevelled appearance. She twitched as an itch grew on her stomach. Relieving herself of the itch Lena spat out the frothy toothpaste into the wash basin. When finished clearing her mouth of toothpaste she stared once again at her reflection.

Lena concentrated on her eyes, leaning closer to see the more prominent blue specs near to the centre easier. Pulling away a few seconds later she ran her fingers through her hair before leaving the small bathroom. Dragging her feet she slowly made her way towards her closet, successfully grabbing a face wipe on the way. Wiping her face she opened the doors to her closet.

Various clothes lay in front of Lena, ranging from trousers, shirts, coats and other items of clothing. Looking through the clothing a pair of trousers and shirt were picked out. Dressing in the clean clothes Lena looked in the full length mirror. White and black trousers accompanied by a black shirt. While the trousers were made of two parts, the upper part black and the main part white, there were belts attached just above and below the knees, making the trousers seem even baggier than they actually were. The shirt contrasted with the pants, sitting closely to the body. Although the top of the shirt sat low and the bottom just to the end of her ribs, it was long sleeved, concealing her arms completely.

Content with her appearance the brunette picked up the hairbrush on her bedside table. She quickly ran the brush through her hair, untangling any knots that might have appeared during her sleep. Brushing her side fringe into place she nodded to herself, attempting to sweep it away from her eye with little success. Forcing herself to leave her hair alone she left the room.

Trudging down the stairs Lena headed for the kitchen area that was part of the living room. Scanning the contents of the cupboards and fridge she frowned. There was nothing for her that could be made quickly. Disinterested in the prospect of food she headed for the front door, grabbing her favourite jacket and slipping her boots on.

Leaving the apartment the young woman reached into her jacket pocket for her purse. Opening the coin section Lena fished through the loose gil in search of her key. Successful in her search she proceeded to lock the door before heading to the elevator.

Pressing the button for the elevator Lena returned her purse and concealed key back into her jacket pocket. Leaning on one leg she frowned at the time it was taking for the elevator to arrive. The stairs were beginning to seem appealing. Just as she was about to head for them the bell for the elevator chimed, signalling it's arrival. Turning around she shuffled into the small compartment, ignoring the other person already there.

The brunette looked over at the button panel, seeing that the ground floor button was already illuminated. Standing next to the stranger Lena finally allowed herself to look him over.

Red hair, dark blue, unkempt suit, almost black, unfastened top button, low sitting tie, at least a couple of inches taller than herself as her crown only reached the bridge of his nose, and blue eyes, looking right at her.

Blinking at the contact Lena quickly turned her attention to the doors in front of her, colour lightly staining her cheeks at being caught. A chuckle from the male next to her brought her attention back to him. Seeing the smirk on his face she frowned.

"What?" She asked, staring in confusion. She watched him half turn towards her, smirk still present.

"Like what you see?" The smirk grew, causing the tinge in her cheeks to darken. Lena began to curse Faro for living in an apartment so near to the top, she'd have to deal with this guy for a bit longer.

Hoping that keeping silent would end the conversation Lena stared intently at the metallic door. Relief flooded her when silence reigned for a few minutes although she swore he might have said something. She glared in frustration as the strangers face suddenly appeared in front of her field of vision. Despite the distance she wished for, she couldn't help but want to touch his face, just noticing the red marks. The unique feature was something she admired, even if she didn't like the impression she was getting.

"Hey girly, you listening?" Playfully the stranger in front of her waved his hand in her face, still leaning over so she had fewer other places to look.

"What do you want?" Lena knew that her irritation had seeped into her voice by the way the stranger backed away, hands held up as a kind of barrier against her. She was glad for that as she gained her personal space back but she also cursed herself for it, that was the reason why many found her so unapproachable.

"Okay, calm down. Jeez, only being friendly." At that time the bell for the elevator chimed, signalling that it had reached its destination. Hoping to escape as quickly as possible the brunette squeezed through the doors as soon as they began to open.

Walking quickly through the lobby Lena took a deep breath of the polluted air. When she'd first arrived in Midgar she'd struggled to breathe without pulling a face. She'd soon gotten used to it and now it didn't bother her, as long as she didn't think about it. Standing in the street for a moment the brunette began to move, automatically heading for a familiar place.

Before long she had reached a small café situated next to a clothing store. The shop wasn't expensive and so the clothes were cheaply made but that was the area she and Faro were living in. Cheap but despite that, nice. There were more than enough downsides to the city.

Walking into the small but cosy café Lena smiled at the man stood behind the counter. Taking her purse from her pocket she placed some gill before the man. "The usual please Jaren."

"Coming up. How goes the job search? Still nothing?" Jaren worked on getting the order ready as he spoke, glancing back briefly.

"Yeah. Nothing seems to either pay enough or is interesting. At this rate I might have to move back to Mideel, although that'll cost a bomb." Taking a sip of her steaming tea as it was placed in front of her Lena sighed. "Hopefully something will turn up before that."

"I'm sure you'll find something. I've heard of a couple but I'm sure you wouldn't take them, even though one pays alright." Jaren saw Lena's eyes light up and shook his head.

"What is it? If it pays well I'll do it." The brunette leaned in on the counter, ignoring the sandwich sat there waiting for her.

"Well, okay. I don't know too much about it but the employer's Shinra." Seeing Lena's face fall fulfilled Jaren's expectations, seeing other customer's enter he pushed the sandwich towards her. "Look, just think about it, you might dislike Shinra but the pay's good. That's what you were wanting right?"

Grumbling to herself Lena grabbed her sandwich and moved towards a vacant table. Staring at the plate in front of her she began to weigh her options. She could get a job that pays well but work for Shinra, or continue looking for a job while mooching off her friends. Her options were looking slim but she'd look for every possible path before making a decision.

Glancing at the clock she sighed. Despite the fact that she had driven herself out of the apartment early in the afternoon she felt like she needed more sleep. Since she had arrived in Midgar and remained jobless she hadn't managed to keep a stable sleep pattern. She liked to blame her unfamiliarity with the city but she knew it was down to her own irresponsibility.

Taking a bite out of her sandwich the brunette looked around. There were a few business men and a few teenagers. As usual the place wasn't heaving but was busy enough for its size. Ignoring those around her she focused on finishing her meal.

Standing, her chair giving a high pitched squeal, Lena made her way towards Jaren. She guessed that she had pulled a face unconsciously as the attendant backed away from the counter. Resting her elbows on the metallic surface she sighed before taking a mouthful of her cooling tea.

"Give me the details of those jobs. Might as well see what they're like." Jaren gave her a wary look before reaching for a notepad. Quickly scribbling down the details the attendant tore the piece of paper away from the rest before handing it to her. Wanting to look at the jobs in private Lena shoved the scrap of paper into her trouser pocket, muttering a thanks as she left.

Standing just outside the small café Lena sighed. Usually having her usual sandwich and tea she'd wander around the sector, familiarising herself with the area for future reference. Today however she didn't feel like walking, the weight of her decision pressing down on her. After a moment of pondering she began her journey back to the apartment, finishing her drink as she moved.

Before long the brunette found herself standing at the front door to the apartment. Absently reaching for her key she thought about the slip of paper in her pocket, hoping the jobs written there wouldn't be out of the question. Despite the employer she really needed the job.

Unlocking the door Lena headed into the apartment huffing. Kicking her boots off carelessly she wasted no time in moving towards the living space. A small coffee table, a couch, TV and a single armchair occupied the room. Sitting herself on the armchair, away from the rest of the furniture Lena reluctantly pulled the job details from her pocket.

There were two jobs written on the slip of paper. One was for a jewellers shop not too far away from the apartment, Lena recognised the name. They were looking for someone to advertise. She wasn't about to earn a pathetic wage for handing out leaflets. Reluctantly she looked over the second set of details. Quickly skimming the writing she found that the job was for a cleaner. Lena thought it strange that Shinra would be looking for someone whose job was to generally mop floors and wipe windows but ignored it as she saw the rough estimation for the monthly salary. It seemed Shinra paid even their cleaners generously.

Looking the details over more closely the brunette tore the paper in half, leaving one half on the coffee table while the other remained in her hand. Grasping the torn paper tightly she made her way to her bedroom. If she was to make the interview on time she had to get a move on.

* * *

Trudging through the door Lena sighed. The interview had been simple but the interviewers had unnerved her. They hardly blinked and if she didn't know any better she would have thought they were statues. Depositing her empty purse on the small desk next to the entrance she removed her shoes and jacket. Her weekly allowance given to her by Faro had been spent on the journey to the Shinra building and back. She winced as she thought what her friend's reaction would be when he found out.

The smells of cooking food struck her nose, beckoning her towards the source. She found herself in the small kitchen area. Looking towards the stove she found Faro standing there, tending to many pans at once.

"What's cooking?" Lena asked, seating herself at the cramped dining table. Her friend looked back briefly to acknowledge her.

"Just the same as usual, veggies and steaks. You're back late, did you go somewhere?" Faro turned down the heat on one of the pans before leaning on the counter closest.

"I'll have you know that I was at a job interview," Lena grinned at the surprised look on her friends face "so I'll be out of your hair soon enough, if I get the job that is."

"I'm glad to hear it, but where is this job? There's a lot of sleazebags around from the lower place you know." The brunette rolled her eyes. She appreciated the concern but sometimes he made it seem like she couldn't take care of herself.

"If the company was made up of sleazebags then the majority of the city would be working for them." Lena had to try really hard not to roll her eyes again. She was grateful that Faro needed to tend to the pans again so she couldn't see his face; she didn't want him judging her for her decisions.

"If I remember correctly, you said you'd never work for Shinra?" The bustle of the male preparing the table almost drowned out his voice.

"If I want a job I'll have to take what I get. I can't be picky right now. My mooching's getting to you." Playing with the knife and fork presented to her Lena frowned. She remembered her words clearly, as though she'd spoken them yesterday, her promise to never work for those who took her father from her.

"I only threatened to kick you out to try motivate you to find a job quicker. I don't mind you here but it would be nice for you to get out and work." Sounds of pots clanking as they were thrown into the sink reached the brunette's ears, pulling her away from her thoughts. A moment later a plate of food was placed in front of her, Faro seating himself opposite her with his own plate.

"You're a cruel man Faro, you know?" Lena gave her friend a mock glare as she started on her food.

"Would you prefer to be sharing a place with Dras? You know he'd be working you like a slave driver." A smirk grew on Faro's face, knowing the other's dislike for the mentioned male.

"I'd rather live on the streets than with that pig. Besides, you wouldn't do that even if he is your friend." Lena watched as the other nodded, focusing on his meal. Silence took over the conversation, leaving both figures in its embrace.

Eating slowly to savour her meal the brunette glanced at the clock, finally realising how much of her day had been wasted on a single interview. It was nowhere near the usual time she would retire to her room to rest but a sudden wave of drowsiness flooded her. Finishing the last of her meal she took her plate to the sink, placing it on the counter beside it. She would clean it in the morning, or afternoon, depending on when she decided it was time to get up.

Waving goodnight to Faro, Lena trudged to her room, hardly registering that she tripped on one of the stairs. Making it to her room with only a stubbed toe she changed into a clean pair of night clothes before collapsing onto the bed face first. Before allowing herself to sleep however she rethought her position and rolled onto her side, not wishing to suffocate herself in her sleep.

* * *

Well, that's the first chapter done, thanks for reading. Please leave a review if possible, should only take a minute or two and could help my future writing out.


	2. Preparation

Sorry about the long wait guys, I don't really have an excuse. Apart from being bone idle I've been playing too many games (FFX being the main contributor), although I've known in my head that I needed to write if I had the time to be doing nothing. I myself don't think that this chapter was worth the wait but I'll leave that up to you readers to decide.

Lena and other OC's belong to me, everything that's uber awesome and FFVII belongs to Square T_T

* * *

It was here. It had come – the white envelope containing the results of her interview. Outcomes of this moment had run through her mind during the time she had to wait for it, none of them matched what she was doing at the anticipated moment of time.

Lena stared. She didn't move or speak, just kept her eyes glued onto that letter lying in front of the door. It almost seemed innocent, lonely, but she knew better. As soon as she opened that slip of paper she would get her results and then she would know the outcome of her interview...Except she didn't want to know.

If she hadn't of been focusing on it so much the teen would have noticed that Faro had emerged from his room and was currently staring at her. It was a strange enough sight seeing the younger of the two awake at this hour, never mind awake and staring seemingly at the floor. Not once had he seen both occurring at the same time before.

"Uh, Lena? Are you okay...?" Faro questioned, cautiously reaching out to try shake his friend out of her stupor. Before the male's hand could even touch her, Lena's hand had shot out to grasp it. She turned to face her friend, eyes unblinking, before whispering in a strained voice "It's here."

Confused, Faro looked between the brunette and the letter still sitting on the floor where it had landed after being pushed through the letter box. The small, red logo printed onto the corner of the envelope caught his eye. The distinctive logo of the Shinra company. Now he understood. Shaking his head Faro picked up the letter, waving it in Lena's face. A smirk grew on his face as the teen flinched away from the harmless package. "Come on, stop being stupid. Just open it."

Lena scowled as she followed her friend into the living room. She watched as the letter was placed on the coffee table, her letter opener sitting next to it. She didn't need the small knife but she liked to use it for the sake of using it. She wasn't sure what but something about opening letters with the job specific blade appealed to her. Maybe it was her childhood dream of one day being able to use a sword but she didn't know.

Allowing herself to sink into the cushions of the sofa she took a hold of the coarse white paper. Lena knew that she had to stop being stupid, just as Faro had said. Picking up her letter opener she hacked into the envelope, managing to thoroughly destroy it while somehow keeping the majority of the contents intact.

Pulling the contents free of their confines the teen looked over the details. She saw the usual formalities that would accompany this kind of thing, and then she saw it. The words that had decided her fate. Groaning loudly in despair she failed to notice Faro's presence enter her range again. Plucking the loosely grasped letter the elder looked over the printed text.

"What are you in such a slump about? You've got the job; shouldn't you be celebrating and rubbing the fact you'll be escaping from my 'smelly' socks in my face?" Faro questioned, resting the letter on his friend's head.

"It says I have to meet with someone at the Shinra building at six..." Sinking even further into the sofa Lena groaned once more. Little attention was paid to the letter that had drifted to the floor due to the movements.

Taking a sip from his coffee Faro stared at his friend, he knew of her terrible sleeping habits: going to bed late in the morning, waking up in the afternoon, and sometimes the opposite even though he'd rarely seen that before today. "I'm failing to see what the problem is."

"Six in the morning Faro! In the morning! I can't wake up at that time, it's ungodly!" Throwing her arms up in the air Lena sluggishly pulled herself up to stand, purposely treading on the letter as she made her way back towards the short flight of stairs. Anything that Faro might have said to her was lost; she was too busy complaining to herself in her mind about the time she had to get up the next day.

She needed her tea and sandwich.

* * *

Leaping out of bed with a banshee-like scream Lena attacked the alarm clock, succeeding in disconnecting it from the wall socket. Although silence reigned through the apartment the insistent beeps from the now lifeless mechanism rang in the teen's mind. Normally she wouldn't have reacted as such, the regular routine being to turn the alarm off, roll over, and fall back asleep. That was when she'd had more than two hours sleep however.

Lena rolled herself out of bed and onto the cold floor, groaning in discomfort at the combination of the impact of the drop and the sudden dive in temperature. This was her early morning wake up technique.

Pushing herself to her knees after rolling onto her stomach, the brunette glared at her bedside table. Ever since she'd moved in with her friend Lena had found that the patterns in the wood grain made a grinning face, at least to her it did, and every time she did her early morning routine it grinned at her, laughing at her misfortune.

"Go to hell, stupid piece of tree." Lena grumbled. After deciding that she was getting too cold she used her irritation to spur herself on, stomping into the bathroom for her first round of washing. The first round was always in the morning and the second before she got into bed; if she didn't follow the routine she knew she'd feel horrible and dirty later in the day or in the morning.

What was only minutes felt like an hour as the brunette stumbled out of the small bathroom. Although she was finally wide awake she'd succeeded in jamming her side into the wash basin again, tingles running up and down her leg from the impact and causing pins and needles in her foot. Despite experiencing her current discomfort she thanked herself for preparing her outfit the night before.

After wearing the outfit she'd pulled together the day she'd gone for the interview she found that she loved it. She'd worn it nearly every day and whenever it got dirty she washed it, much to Faro's dismay. Her friend was irritated that his water bill had gone up so Lena had to wear other combinations of clothes, saving her favourite outfit for special occasions such as today.

Before it had even registered in her own mind, Lena was already dressed and making her way towards the elevator. She couldn't recall when she'd left the apartment but could remember clearly the now worse throbbing in her side when she'd fallen while getting dressed, her side meeting with the corner of her bedside table. If she was 'special' she would think that the wash basin and bedside table were conspiring against her, and although she did have her slow moments she wasn't that slow.

Pressing the call button for the elevator the teen pulled out the letter she'd received. Looking it over properly for the first time she saw that she had to meet with someone named Angela Tompkins. The surname struck a chord in her mind somewhere but she couldn't place where she'd heard it before. Shrugging she walked into the elevator as the bell chimed, signalling it's arrival.

Lena glanced at the electronic clock above the doors briefly and bent down to tie her laces properly; she'd need to hurry if she wanted to get to her destination on time and that meant she couldn't have loose shoes unless she wanted to lose them on the way.

* * *

"You'll be assigned to the residential floors. Everything you'll need should be in the storage rooms on the sixty–third floor, if not then just ask another one of the staff and they'll help you out. You'll be given your key card when you're done here. Do you have any questions?" Angela looked behind her to make sure that the younger of the two was following. During the time that she'd been showing the teen around she'd hardly heard a word out of her apart from the initial introductions.

"Which floor's the residential floor? And what floor is this?" Lena asked. Since she'd arrived in the building she'd felt uneasy. In her attempt to figure out why she felt how she did she'd spaced out, all floors and the majority of instructions failing to sink in. She knew she should have paid attention but she couldn't help it, at least that's what she told herself.

"The residential area starts at floor thirty-two and ends at fourty-five and we're still in the lobby. Of course you won't be working on them on your own and to keep things from getting too repetitive those of you working on those floors will work on a rota. When you arrive tomorrow you'll need to go to the office to find out which floors you'll be cleaning on each day. Are you following me so far?" Calling the elevator as the two women reached it Angela turned to face the younger. She'd noticed the spaced look earlier but if she truly hadn't noticed they were both still on the ground floor then she was going to have a problem.

"Work on a rota, report to the office." Lena looked around; they were indeed still in the lobby. She knew she'd blame her lack of attention on how uneasy she was feeling despite that she knew that wasn't the case.

Moving automatically the teen only registered that she was in the glass elevator when the doors sealed themselves in front of her. Maybe it wasn't her anxiety but her lack of sleep that was the cause of her inattentiveness, the conclusion for this discovery brought up by the fact she was fascinated by how shiny Angela's hair was. Due to the fact that she was entranced by her appearance of the elder's hair she missed seeing which floor they were headed to.

"We'll get you your uniform and then you'll be free to do whatever you like." One thing that Lena never failed to hear despite what might be ailing her was a dismissal. Whenever she was at school or doing a job she would be out of the door as soon as she was dismissed, she loved her free time and thought she always would.

"Fine by me." Shrugging nonchalantly Lena looked upwards to see the electronic number telling her which floor she was on. She could tell that the elevator probably cost more than most of the apartment building her and Faro were living in just from that one panel.

Directing her attention away from rapidly changing numbers the teen focused her gaze outside. The glass elevator made her nauseous but seeing the city from the height she was at amazed her. If it wasn't for the view occupying her mind she would be on the floor trying not to be sick, heights were never her forté.

Facing back toward the doors as the elevator bell chimed in her ears Lena was surprised to see someone on the other side of the doors. The most prominent features of the stranger were the blonde hair and white lab coat which contrasted with his tanned skin. There was something familiar about him though, she just couldn't put her finger on it. Lena made a mental note to buy some pain killers on her way back to the apartment, with all the thinking she'd be doing she'd need it.

"Run out of sterilising agents again Dan? With the way its being used you'd think this place was a hospital!" Angela laughed at her own little joke as she pushed her companion out of the small space, joining her a moment later as she swapped places with Dan.

"With the way the professor runs his lab it might as well be. I won't bore you with the details; I need to get moving anyways. Still up for coffee as usual later?" Repositioning the box under his arm Dan pressed a button on the elevator panel as Angela nodded. Just before the elevator doors could close properly the male sent a questioning glance at Lena, causing her to send her own in return. Had he only just noticed her now? If that was the case then she was going to be annoyed, she wasn't one for being in the spotlight but she certainly didn't like being overlooked.

"Come on then, let's get you your uniform." All thoughts of the assumed scientist flew out of Lena's head. The word 'uniform' was now unconsciously connected to being able to go home and she knew she wanted to. The teen slowed her pace so she wasn't so close to Angela's heels, she didn't want to seem eager about the job never mind over-eager.

Angela led the brunette into a small room just to the right of the elevator and began to rummage through some boxes. It wasn't until after she'd destroyed the order of the first couple that she found what she was looking for. Pulling out a light blue overcoat the woman yelled in triumph, holding it out to be taken.

"That's all you're required to wear for your uniform, it might not seem much but with how much work we have to do you'll be glad it's just that." Taking the light material Lena noted that there was a thin layer of dirt on it, probably from the other things it was stored with, or so she speculated.

"This is all I need to wear?" Turning the garment in her hand the teen caught sight of the size on the inside tag, she was surprised that it was her size but what surprised her more was that Angela knew that it was, she hadn't told the older woman what size she would need.

"Yepp, nobody cares what else you wear with it but it's your own fault if you come to work and hurt yourself because you weren't wearing practical clothing." Angela closed the tops to the boxes she'd rummaged through, leaving the contents in disarray before making her way back to the elevator. Lena followed moments later after concluding her inspection of her 'uniform'.

"How come you're not wearing yours?" Lena held her overcoat out to the elder to show what she was talking about. One problem she had at times was that she didn't specify what she was talking about so whoever she was having a conversation with either had to ask or guess.

"I'm actually having my week off. I had to come in to get you sorted out though; none of the others could be bothered, lazy bunch. Here, take this while I remember." Angela pulled a card out of her pocket and held it out to the brunette.

Taking the slender object Lena looked it over. It didn't appear to be too special but it was shiny and that made her want to store it immediately. Whenever she gained anything that seemed both nice and shiny she had the urge to hide it away so that it wouldn't become damaged and lose its shine. Faro always teased her about it but when his nice things got damaged she got to laugh much to his annoyance.

"That's the key card that'll allow you to get up here. Unless you want to take the stairs you'll need it to get to this room and the ones below. You'll get any key cards you'll need if in the off chance you need to go any higher for work. Keep that safe though, it might only get you up to here but there are some people who'd pay a lot for them just to infiltrate the building." Lena nodded and slipped the card into her trouser pocket. She didn't watch the news, it bored her to no end, so she didn't know that there were people out there that would wish to do harm to Shinra. Even though she herself wasn't the biggest fan of the company she didn't want to do anything drastic, although she had had thoughts about it. Sure, she'd heard of the apparent damage the reactors did but she wasn't too concerned with that, if the planet was to die due to them it would probably happen in another generation's time, at least that's what she thought.

The electronic elevator bell chimed and Lena and Angela stepped into the enclosed space. Now that she had her uniform she could go home, and home meant bed and sleep. Looking at the clock above the lit buttons she nearly screamed out loud. She had to get up after having little to no sleep, commute on a journey that felt like forever and it was only one in the afternoon. Never had a day felt like it'd dragged on as much as this.

During her thoughts of sleep the bell signalling the end of the elevator ride jingled. Once again Angela had to act and remove the teen from the lift, shaking her head as she seemed to return to the present.

"Now that we're done making sure you're ready for work you're free to do as you please. I just hope you'll be able to fill your quota when the time comes." Lena frowned; she didn't miss the emphasis when 'hope' was said. Did she really seem that spacey? She didn't mean to, she didn't even realise she was doing it when she'd had as little sleep as she'd had.

Waving a goodbye to Angela the teen made her way out of the lobby, she didn't wish to say goodbye verbally - she didn't think she could. Lena couldn't deny that she was disappointed; she had thought that Angela would have more faith in her even if her first impression wasn't the best. Shaking her head of her thoughts she tucked her uniform under her arm and prepared herself for the long journey home. She'd soon enough be home and then in bed and she vowed she'd sleep the whole day away if she had to.

* * *

Well, there you have it. Please leave a review if you have a minute spare, much appreciated.


	3. Rior

Well, chapter three, hopefully it'll be a bit more interesting than the previous two.

I'll be in spain from tomorow for a week so I wont be able to update in that time even if I did manage to get my lazy self to write a full chapter, however this doesn't mean that I won't be working on it, I have the faithful pen and paper to use while away. Hopefully that means that I'll have a chapter ready to update as soon as I get to an available computer then :3 The keyword though is 'hopefully' T_T

Well, on with it! *whispers* as you all know all I own is the oc's, though I wish the adorable Cloud from Crisis Core was mine ._.

* * *

_Darkness. It was everywhere and yet nowhere. Where was she? Trying to look around was pointless but she tried it anyway. Moving also seemed to be out of the question so she resigned herself to simply laying there._

_What felt like hours passed and there was no change in her surroundings but instead of lingering in silence there was now a faint scratching sound. She thought the sound was similar to someone using a nail file but far away. She tried to pinpoint where it was coming from but it seemed to surround her._

_The scratching got closer until it seemed to be drilling into her head. She tried to writhe away from the sound but was still unable to move. She did manage to scream however, an inhuman scream that drowned out the painful scratching._

_Silence reigned once again but it wasn't too long before the scratching began again and at a faster rate. Once again she screamed to fight back and again there was silence for a moment before the sound was back. Each time she used this method the less silence there was._

_When she thought she couldn't take it anymore there was a change in the darkness above her. Slowly light began to seep into the abyss she'd been sleeping in. Unaware that her eyes were open she closed them as quickly as she could, the burning pain caused by the light breathing life into her natural reflexes._

_Chittering sounds replaced the scratching and she felt more light touch her skin, an unwelcome heat. Forcing her eyes open slowly she saw the distorted shapes of what she assumed to be people. From one of these shapes a blur came towards her, making contact with her arm._

_Sensations ran through her body from the originating point of contact. Some were pleasant, some felt like they were about to rip her piece from piece. The alternation between the two caused her to want to scream out once more, but she found she was unable, just like she was still unable to move. She begged for it to stop, to just be one of the two, she'd even endure endless pain if there wasn't the respite for her to recover before the next wave._

_Through her thoughts she saw another one of the shapes extend a blurry appendage but thankfully blacked out before it could reach her, submitting herself to the final wave of pain._

Bolting upright Lena looked around her, finding herself still in her apartment. Placing her hand against the cool wall confirmed this and caused her to sigh in relief. Out of all the dreams she could ever recall having the one she just had wasn't the weirdest but it was the most vivid. Glancing down at her arm where she'd felt the clashing sensations the brunette nearly fell out of her bed in shock.

There on her arm was an angry, purple hand mark.

Lena stared for the longest time at the hand print marring her arm, not daring to blink. She couldn't remember being handled harshly by anyone so she couldn't think of any reason as to why the bruise was there. Her thoughts ran back to the dream and caused her to shake her head in disbelief, dreams couldn't hurt you, could they? Looking back at the blemish sight she found it gone. Prodding and looking all over her arm proved that the evidence of any bruise was gone. Maybe she'd just imagined it, conjured it up, she was still drowsy after all.

Slumping back against her headboard the teen glanced at her clock. It wasn't uncommon for her to wake up at a reasonable time due to a dream but the routine was for her to fall back asleep until a later time that suited her. Judging by the time she had to start work today she could afford to sleep a good few more hours before she'd bother Jaren, it wouldn't take her long to have her usual before moving onto her place of work. Nodding to herself she sank back into her mattress and buried herself under her covers, she needed more sleep.

* * *

Standing in the glass elevator Lena looked back on her instructions. She was to clean floors forty-one to forty-three, where a portion of the infantry stayed, or so she was told. Apparently they gave her these floors because those who used them should still be on duty so there would be no one to bother her, to help her settle in at her own pace. She'd scoffed at that. She was going to have to learn to settle in either way, she didn't care if she had to clean around a bunch of sweaty men to do it.

Stepping out of the elevator the brunette gaped, the corridor was huge! She'd wondered why she was assigned only three floors while the rest had five but now she saw why. She'd never be able to clean five floors if they were all like this which she assumed they were. It'd be ok if she was just mopping the floor but she had to clean every individual room too. The question however was if she could fill her quota before the residents came back.

Looking to the side she saw the small storage room that would have what she needed for her job. When Angela had told her that she would have to go to the sixty-third floor to get her stuff she found that was only if there was something missing from the storage room on that floor. She couldn't recall if it had actually been mentioned or not but she knew now at least.

Opening the door she stared at the trolley that greeted her, apart from that there was only a couple of boxes. Lena had expected something bigger but she couldn't complain, she didn't have to exert much effort looking for what she needed. Pulling the wheeled contraption from the small space she looked it over. There were a variety of sprays and some other items such as varnish, a bucket hung off a hook on the side with a mop and broom not too far away, a few different cloths sat inside the bucket and an expensive looking vacuum sat below all this on the lower compartment.

Heading for the first room, trolley being dragged behind her, Lena looked inside. The smell that hit her nose almost made her step further into the corridor but she steeled herself and ventured in. Looking around she could see why there was such a stink. Clothes lay carelessly around with what she could only guess was sweat marks on them; at least she hoped they were. There were at least four bunk beds which meant that if all the rooms were the same there would be eight sweaty men living in each room, the room wasn't big either so they were sleeping and relaxing relatively close to each other.

Pulling a face the teen picked up the closest piece of littered clothing and brought it close to her face for a closer inspection. The closer the garment got to her the more her expression deteriorated. She wanted to know how long the room had been in this state but at the same time she didn't, she knew she'd just end up frowning at the answer.

Dropping the clothing back onto the floor Lena glanced back at her trolley. It was time for her to roll up her sleeves and put her cleaning face on if she was to clean not only this room but many more that were more than likely in the same condition.

Grabbing the items she felt she needed she set to work, the quicker she worked the quicker she'd fill her quota.

* * *

Floor forty-one had been a cinch, since there was nobody on it to get in her way. That one floor had taken her a good hour at least to finish, including mopping the corridor afterwards, and floor forty-two was the same although there were some of the infantry around who were off-duty. Thankfully they didn't get in her way and left the room she was to clean when they were told.

Her impression of the infantry from living in Midgar were that they were brutes who did anything to follow orders but she learnt that they were just normal people who were indeed following orders but that was their job. The one who taught her that was a guy named Rior.

Rior seemed like a joker but there also seemed to be a serious, damper side to him too. She first saw this when she'd entered the room him and another roommate were in, he was staring into space with an expression she was all too familiar with.

Lena found herself followed by the male as she made her way to the elevator for her last floor. Time had seemed to pass by quicker as a couple more of those who were off-duty , following Rior's example and trying to strike up a conversation with the person they'd be entrusting their living space to. She'd admit that the time passed her by conversing with the infantrymen but when she was on her way to the next floor she finally took notice of the ache in her upper body. She knew that her laziness would come back to kick her in the bum someday.

Stepping into the elevator after storing away floor forty-two's trolley for the day the brunette was surprised to find Rior had followed her. Sure enough he'd followed her through most of the floor but she didn't expect him to follow her further, thinking he'd prefer to be with his friends.

"Why're you still following me?" Lena asked. She stared at Rior's faded pink hair, patches of platinum hair underneath showing that his hair was once either a dyed red or vibrant pink. Judging from the hair she guessed that he was around Faro's age if not older which explained why he had such an extreme hair colour. Noticing her gaze the male grinned.

"I just thought I'd keep you company, plus not all of these butt monkeys know how to treat a woman so I'll keep them from doing villainous crimes." The way Rior chose to describe his comrades made Lena laugh loudly. Butt monkeys was a new one, she'd have to remember it for future reference although she didn't know if she could even use it herself without laughing, it seemed to strike a chord in her that just brought forth the giggles in her.

"Very well then, I'm sure I could protect myself from these 'villainous crimes' but the company's welcome." Stepping out of the elevator after the bell chimed the brunette gathered her required tools as she had the previous two floors. She heard her new companion talking with someone behind her and shook her head. Although he seemed nice Rior also seemed to move from one thing to another too quickly for Lena.

Pulling the trolley behind her Lena burst out laughing again as it ran over Rior's foot, causing him to swear loudly and hop on one foot although he quickly lost his balance and fell to the floor. She thought it served him right to be wandering around without any footgear on even if he did live in the building. Forcing her amusement down the teen started for the first room.

Heading inside Lena assessed the room. It wasn't as bad as a couple of the rooms on the previous two floors but neither was it the best. Looking around she found that there was only one person occupying the room and they were presumably asleep. Making her way over she could feel sympathetic towards whoever she was going to wake up, she hated being woken up rather than being able to do so naturally no matter who or what did it.

As she neared the sleeping figure she was able to see their features. Blonde hair spiked irregularly at the front while the rest appeared to be short. His skin appeared to be smooth and unmarred which was welcome in her eyes. There weren't any other distinguishing features Lena could identify while the stranger was asleep but she could tell that she'd probably be nervous around him since she found him attractive. She was a sucker for blondes, especially so for those who had soft looking skin like his.

Staring for longer than she knew she should have Lena began to make a start on the room. She wouldn't wake the sole occupant since he was out of the way and she didn't have any more heart to wake him than she did when she first entered. She faintly heard the door opening behind her and looked up briefly from the floor to see Rior. She had the urge to throw her armful of dirty clothing at him when he immediately started to bother the sleeping blonde.

"Hey Cloud, rise and shine sunshine!" Rior's shout cut right through her. Looking toward the now awake blonde she found that he had the clearest blue eyes she'd even seen, she almost openly gawked but caught herself before she could embarrass herself.

"What..?" Cloud could only stare at his comrade as he began to fully wake, wiping whatever gunk might have collected in the corner of his eyes away. Glancing around as he woke fully Cloud spotted movement behind Rior. Leaning around his friend to take a closer look he saw Lena who was trying hard to hide and failing.

"You have to meet the new cleaning lady! You just can't not. Look, isn't she so fresh?" Fresh. That was a new description. She'd been called many things in her lifetime but never fresh. Lifting her gaze to the pink haired male Lena scowled; she wasn't sure how to react to such a comment and so just ran along with anger.

"If you're quite done bothering everyone I'd like to do my job." Rior took notice of the scowl and began to shuffle out of the room, dragging Cloud along by the arm none too gently. Lena thought she could hear him mumbling something about 'letting a woman fulfil her duty' before the door closed behind the two young men, she wasn't sure though.

Sighing heavily to herself the teen allowed herself to stare at the door. She wouldn't have minded if Rior had left Cloud behind, maybe then she might have been able to strike up a conversation with someone who she'd normally stay away from. She couldn't keep a conversation up with someone she thought attractive and she knew it, which made things even worse when she actually made an effort.

It wasn't long before Lena had finished her task in the room she'd encountered Cloud and had moved onto the next, slowly progressing down the corridor. Rior continued to follow her and eve dragged Cloud along with him even longer. She could tell he wanted to retreat from the pink haired male's arm wrapped around his shoulder and be elsewhere but didn't understand why he didn't do so.

A small game had started up between Rior and Lena as they neared the end of the corridor. The male would try to sneak into the room while she was working and he had to see if he could escape without being hit by anything she wielded. Of course this had begun when he was bored waiting outside for her which left Cloud to watch. Rior had tried to get the blonde to join in but after seeing a red mark on his face, caused by the paperweight Lena had been cleaning under moments before, he'd politely refused.

Despite the annoyance Rior had brought to her in the beginning Lena had found that he'd quickly grown on her. Through his joking around and forcing Cloud to stay Rior had managed to get the cleaner and soldier on at least friendly terms, something he'd be choosing specifically to tease his new friend with.

Time passed all too fast for the teen and before she knew it her task of cleaning the three floors was over. Lena would have loved to have stayed longer and gotten to know her new friends more, although she wasn't sure if her and Cloud were in the 'friends' category yet, but she could already feel the ache of manual labour seeping into her muscles. She believed Angela now when she said that she'd be glad just for the simple overcoat.

When she'd stated the fact that it was home time for her Rior had proceeded to act like a child and cling to her waist. Lena couldn't help but burst into hysterics, unable to keep the straight face that would ease the man's arms from her. She tried everything from bribing him to trying to forcefully push him away but nothing worked until the most obvious method seemed to pop into her head to save her.

"I'm working tomorrow so you'll be able to talk to me again soon, if you keep clinging to me though I might be too tired to come in and so you won't see me." Lena felt proud; she thought her reasoning was fool proof. Her pride grew as Rior looked up at her and loosened his grip on her waist.

"Okay..." Rior nodded, seeming to understand what the teen was saying. Seeing that she would be able to head home, rest her tired muscles and brag to Faro over the phone over how she hadn't died on her first day.

Lena took a few steps toward the elevator and her freedom before something wrapped around her leg and caused her to fall to her knees. Looking back she saw a head of pink hair and almost screamed. Rior was once again attached to her with twice the strength that he'd used on her waist. She knew she wouldn't be able to get away now if her previous reasoning was weak enough to be able to keep him away for only that long.

"If you stay here then we won't have to wait for you to come back tomorrow!" Rior's childish, hopeful grin was Lena's misery. Questions ran through her head as she contemplated possible escape routes: how old was he? Was she doomed? Would she even be able to get home tonight?

A muffled laugh dragged her attention away from the male on her leg, bringing her attention to Cloud who was standing not too far away. A scheming gleam shone in her eyes as she gazed upon the blonde, smirking in victory; she'd just found her scapegoat.

* * *

And there you have it. Rior should hopefully liven things up a bit for future chapters x3

Please take the time to review if you have a spare minute, even if it's to highlight any negative points. Much appreciated. :)


	4. Crimson Eyes

Ok, new chapter. It's been a while, certainly longer than I wanted it to be, and I apologise for that...A lot. After getting back from Spain I thought I'd be able to continue writing without allowing myself to get distracted with the presence of my boyfriend, guess how that turned out. Doesn't help that I had to start my college stuff out etc (blah!).

So yeah, very slow update (again I apologise) and probably not very exciting for the wait. It is a little shorter than the other chapters because I wanted to get it out quicker, hopefully it won't matter though.

Never fear though, I've had ideas running in my head that'll hopefully spice things up soon. However I can't promise updates faster than this one in the future since I'll actually be trying to do well at college this time around ^^"

For the third time, I apologise ^^" Now on with the fic!

* * *

A week had passed since Lena had started work. Usually she would have complained about it sooner but there was something about spending the day at Shinra headquarters that delayed it. She assumed it was because she'd made friends so she was rarely alone. Despite that it was one of her friends that got her in trouble.

Rior had taken it upon himself to try and make Lena's workdays as fun and interesting as possible. She wouldn't deny that they were interesting but a lot of the plans involved her as she could easily access the residential rooms without being questioned. Rior's favourite targets seemed to reside in the building too, so more often than not she found herself being bugged for long periods of time.

One such plan involved sneaking into a room, Lena assumed that the pink-haired male was friends with whoever stayed there, and finding whatever they could that would embarrass them for some revenge. She didn't listen to the whole story; she just wanted her friend to leave her alone. She had already refused countless time but when he began to cling to her and get in the way of her work she had to relent.

So they'd gotten into the room and were about to start searching when a huge flaw appeared in Rior's plan, the occupant was home. That was the day she met Zack Fair. She hadn't seen him since but she could tell why the two young men were friends; they were both cheerful although one was more restrained than the other - she couldn't see Zack clinging onto someone in a childish fit. The two were also opposites in appearance, while Rior was pale and had vibrant hair, Zack was slightly tanned with hair as dark as night. Zack's hair was Lena's favourite feature for the time being, although she knew something would replace it soon enough.

While she was working Rior would try to drag Cloud or Zack along with him as he followed her, he seemed to fail mostly with Zack though since she was yet to even see him around since the failed raid on his room. It wasn't often that Cloud was free from his duties for Rior to drag him around with him. Lena always did enjoy it when the blonde was around; she found that he balanced the hyperactive male's behavior perfectly.

Today however none of her newfound friends, or friend since she wasn't sure if she knew Cloud enough to add him to her list of friends, would be able to bring her up from her slump. She'd finally realized that what she'd been doing all week is all that she'd be doing, and that bored her. She didn't mind a routine but it had to be new and exciting every now and then. Apart from Rior's little plans and conversations nothing would change. She just knew Faro would laugh and look at her with that smirk of his if she told him.

Sighing, Lena leant against the elevator panel after entering the compartment. Luckily Rior would be on duty today so she'd be able to start her work without his energetic chatter in her ear for hours. She doubted it would do anything other than annoy her anyways.

She stepped out of the elevator as it arrived at its destination. Looking around Lena found that the floor was deserted. Not trusting her sight alone she listened for any activities that might be going on in the nearby rooms. Rior had once startled her when he tumbled out of a room with a comrade when she was about to enter; she'd been wary ever since.

Collecting her trolley automatically Lena set herself into work mode. To be able to get through the three floors she was assigned she would need to be focused. She didn't doubt that she would get bored or slow down if she didn't. Rubbing her hands together she drove herself forward, adrenaline fueling her.

* * *

Lena had managed to be Rior-free until the forty-third floor. She'd finally relaxed and was about to finish the last stretch of her work when the pink-haired male slapped his hands on her shoulders, causing her to jump. She'd used her mop in revenge but hadn't forgiven him yet despite his complaints of bruises since she'd arrived.

Now that Rior had broken the focus she'd maintained for the past two floors she could feel the slight burning in her muscles. Even though the burn was less intense than it was earlier in the week she still felt it, and now Rior had made her aware of it before it was time for her to head home. She made a mental note to hit her friend again before she left.

Looking closely at her friend she noticed that he was in his uniform. She'd seen others in it during her time in the building but Rior had always been in casual clothing while around her before. She couldn't understand the scarf type part of the uniform but couldn't help but feel that it suited him. Trailing her eyes up and down the tall male she found that it all suited him. She couldn't help but wonder though why he was wearing it.

"Going somewhere?" Lena asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. She headed for the storage closet for her trolley, not in the least bit surprised when she heard Rior's booted feet following her. She was surprised however when they didn't follow her far. Turning around she found that he'd only moved a short distance away from the elevator, one foot still in the air as though he'd caught himself from his new habit of following her.

"Rior?" Watching her friend Lena raised an eyebrow. This behaviour was a first from him and she couldn't guess what had caused it. She knew she hadn't known him long enough to know what he did and didn't do all the time but it wasn't often when he restrained himself from what she'd seen.

"They're sending me and some others to accompany a few SOLDIERs out on a mission. You didn't hear that from me though." The grin on the pink-haired male's face told her that he shouldn't have told her anything and he knew it. Somehow that made him proud. She didn't see why but she wouldn't question it.

"How long will you be gone?" Lena knew it would be quiet without Rior and she would miss the company. Despite how much she complained she would miss him completely.

"Just a few days, before you know it I'll be back." Giving one final grin that was unique to only himself he continued on his way to the elevator. Lena was left staring in silence. She'd expected him to go overboard on his farewell considering how he'd behaved when she tried to leave on her first day. As the elevator doors blocked Rior from sight the brunette snapped back to her senses.

Without her friend there to help pass the time she'd need something else to take his place. Even though she was yet to have a conversation with Cloud without Rior there, she hoped he was around. If not she would have to suck up her courage and make some new friends or just deal with the situation.

* * *

Wiping the slight sweat from her face Lena sighed in relief. The forty-third floor had been tougher than usual. Whoever was off-duty and relaxing in their rooms put up more of a fight when faced with being kicked out. She had won in the end when she'd brandished her mop but she liked to keep that as a last resort. It was times like those that she appreciated the effect that Rior had on his teammates when he was around.

Wheeling her trolley back to its home the brunette looked over the supplies. A couple of the sprays were running low and she'd discovered that the varnish had dried up. Today was the first time she'd felt brave enough to use it and when she'd found that the lid hadn't been put back on properly she'd nearly flipped. She hated when lids weren't closed properly.

Maneuvering the trolley back into the storage closet Lena locked the door behind it. She'd managed to scrawl what she needed on her hand and was thankful that she'd remembered to do so. If she hadn't she knew she'd end up using something that'd destroy what she was working on, never mind cleaning it.

Looking down the now clean corridor as she made her way to the elevator the brunette pondered on how quiet it was. She knew why Rior was absent but she didn't know why everybody else was. Not once had she cleaned her assigned floors without encountering a single person, even Cloud wasn't there.

Pressing the call button Lena watched the numbers above the door. It seemed like someone had used the elevator while she was working which wasn't surprising. It was annoying though that she had to wait for it to arrive from the first floor. She wouldn't say that the thing was slow; it was just that she was impatient, and she wanted to finish up and go home.

Yawning as she stepped into the elevator, cheering mentally that it'd finally arrived; she pondered her sudden bout of tiredness. She'd had more than ten hours sleep and felt as energetic as a child that'd just eaten a whole bag of sugar. Lately she'd tried not to think of sleep as much though because once she started to trail off from sleeping she'd always end up back at the 'dream' she had. It felt more like a nightmare but no matter what it was it haunted her. Never before had she remembered a dream so vividly and that scared her. Anything out of the ordinary for her had that effect.

Shuddering in remembrance of the pain those hands brought she almost missed her intended destination. It was thanks to the high pitched 'ding' that dragged her away from her memories. Although she knew she'd go back on her word at a later date, she swore that she'd never curse at an elevator again.

Stepping out of the compartment Lena mentally followed the directions she was given by a colleague to find the cleaning equipment. Angela had only showed her the floor on the way to get her 'uniform' and had failed to say which specific room would have what she needed. She knew it was partially her fault for not asking but she just wanted to pin the blame on someone that wasn't her. She had almost run herself into a wall when she thought that, she hated pinning the blame completely on someone else when she knew that she was to blame too.

Rushing to the room she needed the brunette gathered everything that was written on her hand. The quicker she got the job done the quicker she could get home and sleep. Sleep meant she was comfortable, happy, sleep meant she could forget. Sleeping was all she had been doing once she was finished at work and she knew what it was doing to her.

She was more lethargic than she'd felt in a long time and her contact with Faro had become scarce. She never meant to push him away or make him think that she had forgotten about him, whatever he was thinking. She just... never had the energy to make an effort anymore.

Shaking her head Lena made a mental note to at least call Faro when she got back to her apartment. He deserved more for putting up with her for as long as he did but she couldn't see herself being able to do anything more worthwhile. Happy with her compromise she followed her footsteps back to the elevator. She felt that her job was a waiting game with the piece of machinery but she had no choice, unless she wanted to take the stairs. There was a reason she avoided the stairs though.

Moving into the compartment as the doors opened she pressed a button blindly. She felt confident that she had selected the floor she needed simply because of how many times she had to push the thing. Her attention was forced from her legs to the panel of buttons as the elevator lurched upwards. She'd come from below so why was it moving upwards? What button had she pressed? Looking at the panel she spotted the illuminated button which she had pressed: sixty-seven.

She didn't know what was on floor sixty-seven and she didn't want to know. Heading to places she wasn't meant to without someone there to reassure her was something she rarely did, especially when it was in a building that could fill a book with its own horror stories. Jamming her finger onto the button for the floor she needed she pressed herself against the back of the compartment. There was nothing she could do now until the elevator stopped and started for its new destination.

The 'ding' that indicated that she was at her unintentional destination made her jump, dropping all her items in the process. Looking out of the open doors she hit herself in the shoulder. In front of her was a simple corridor, nothing to be scared about. Knowing that there was nothing to be scared of she began to relax and laughed. She should give Faro a piece of her mind about telling her those stories and at the same time hit herself again for believing him.

Cheering mentally as the doors began to close Lena looked back out into the corridor. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest and continued to beat erratically. There was someone at the end of the corridor. She was able to distinguish that they were female before the doors closed in front of her. Where had she come from? She hadn't heard any footsteps to indicate that she had just walked there. She was just...there.

Lifting a shaking hand to her face she let out a heavy sigh. She was beginning to believe that Faro was telling the truth but just in case he wasn't she was ready to sort out her new habit of sleeping. There was no way women just appeared randomly without there being something wrong in the head, or so she believed.

Taking a deep breath the brunette began to pick up the cleaning items she'd left on the floor of the compartment. There was a slight shake running through her arms but she could feel herself beginning to calm down. Thinking back to the woman she tried to pick out any specific details that she might have seen, although she doubted she had. She'd been too freaked out by her simply being there.

Conjuring up the image she remembered she tried to look closely. Her memory of the event had faded fast and all the rose into her mind's eye was a blur of blue, white and a sharp red. She wouldn't be able to make any sense of what she remembered if it was just a blur. However judging from where the blinding crimson was she guessed that it was the woman's eyes. If they were then she definately needed to cut back on the sleep. Sighing she focused her mind on the last task she had to do, if she could finish it with no more distractions then she'd be able to visit Faro.

There was no chance she was going to be staying in her empty apartment, not after the scare she'd had. She felt it was time to tell someone about her dream as well. She hoped that Rior would be back soon and causing mischief, she knew she needed it.

* * *

So there you are. Creepy ladies sneaking in yer corridors ._.

Please give feedback if you have time and thanks for reading.


End file.
